Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Trade Deadline Approaching

With the trade deadline rapidly approaching (now about 96 hours away) it has been pretty quiet...up until now. The White Sox and Blue Jays agree on a deal that sends Edwin Jackson to Toronto for Jason Fraiser, but don't unpack your bags Mr. Jackson within an hour of that deal a second deal is pulled off sending Edwin Jackson from Toronto to St. Louis along with a couple of relievers (Mark Rzepczynski and Octavio Dotel) and Corey Patterson for Colby Rasmus, Trevor Miller, Brian Tallet, and PJ Walters. Rasmus is a stud OF under control for at least 3 more years. The Blue Jays offense just went way up.

Yankees and Reds seem to be the front runners for Jimenez even though Cashman says he's not parting with the prospects. Don't think both of those can happen so I wonder if Hal has overruled him and said make it happen, or make it happen within these guidelines.

The Red Sox did seem to be the front runners to land Carlos Beltran...even though they don't need more offense. They lead the league in almost every offensive category. But now the SF Giants have really stepped their offer to the Mets and could land Beltran any minute (Buster Olney saying "they're at the 1 yd line").

While the Astros were, then weren't, then well maybe we will, trade Hunter Pence to someone. The Braves were, then weren't, close to getting him based on their own willingness to put in one of their top pitching prospects.

I can't see the Yankees making a major move at the deadline unless it's for a lefty-reliever. If I'm the Yankees I'm going after any lefty who has owned A-Gon. Even if they have been a starter traditionally I would use them as a lefty specialist just for him. Someone like Jeff Francis (A-Gon avg: .194 in 32 ABs), Arthur Rhodes, JA Haap, or George Sherrill (all at .167). Even...OLIVER PEREZ (.100). I think the prize lefty would be Sean Marshall from the Cubs...and I don't think the Cubs would give him up, well only if the Yankees took on Zambrano and all his $$. Big Z can't handle the AL East, he has an ERA nearly 6 against the Sox, over 13 against the O's, and over 8 against the Yankees. Yankees could also be in on Kuroda from the Dodgers.

I think a lot of what the Yankees will do is conditional upon Phil Hughes and his start this afternoon, and right now Hughes is losing 1-0 against the mighty offensive Mariners, who are mired in a mild 17 game losing streak. It would suck if that ended against Hughes and the Yankees today.

38 comments:

NY Football Giants have "talked" to Plaxico Burress. It was reported that Kevin Boss has accepted an offer from another team. He officially denies this through his Twitter account saying "Setting the record straight I have not agreed to terms with any team yet." He has openly stated, as recently as yesterday, his desire to remain with the Giants. I hope he stays.

I don't understand why everyone seems to be in the panic mode about the Yankess needing pitching. Hughes did not pitch well after the third inning. However, Nova will be back this weekend to pitch in a doubleheader. He already has eight wins this season which is second on the team in wins (and all that did was get him sent back down). If he pitches well against the O's he goes back in the rotation and Hughes goes back to the pen or to AAA.

Colon and Garcia both are still pitching well. The guy that really has hurt the rotation is Burnett. He can never be counted on to give a big game effort.

As for Kuroda, the guy is making $12 million and is 36 years old (compared to Garcia being 32).

It also looks lilke Girardi has finally lost patience with Posada. He has been the DH put sparingly. Odd that he is hitting 225 and there is concern and a lack of concern regarding Texiera hitting about 236 (okay so he has 27 homeruns, but his average is far below his career numbers).

Look the Yankees are 6 games up in the wildcard (the Rays are now behind the Yankees and Angels). If they play 500 ball the rest of the way the Angels have to play at a 620 pace just to tie them.

The pontificating by the media over the rotation gives them something to write about in NY.

Glad the Yankees said no to Zambrano. They Yankees also have another veteran major leaguer somewhere in their system who they signed at the same time they signed Millwood. While Millwood walked, this guy stayed but I cannot remember who it is.

Okay, the guy I was thinking of that the Yankees still have down at Tampa working out is Carlos Silva. The guy is 32 years old has pitched well (at times). They also still have Brad Halsey down at the Tampa Complex as well. Odd that they have not assigned either guy to a team to start building arm strength.

Garcia is at least 34 years old (if you believe his reported birth date). I think you're thinking of Carlos Silva. Last I knew he was in S/WB and pitching pretty well. 2-1 record 23 IP, 3.50 ERA, WHIP of 1.087. But he is not listed on their roster on their website. Don't know if he was released or had an opt out if he wasn't called up by a certain date.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Nova replace Hughes in the rotation at this point.

Giants are in on Plax, and have signed David Baas at center. I don't know, I think the Giants are in for a long year.

Rockies want 3 top prospects for Jimenez. Yankees looking for "consistency", don't think that's Jimenez. That being said, lets look at the Yankees top 10 prospects: MonteroBanuelosSanchezBetancesBrackmanRomineNovaHeathcotNoesiSanchez (ok I think this is an old list)

The Yankees have 3, well maybe 2, catchers. I would deal which ever one they deem internally as the weakest. I think Nova has jumped up the list recently and would add him. I would not include Betances or Banuelos. I would try Noesi and/or Heathcot though. The thing with Noesi and Nova is they are obviously both MLB ready. Think that outweighs guys that are at least a year away. I would still try to land Jimenez, because while he may not be CC-like consistent, he's not AJ-like inconsistent. Jimenez is a difference maker, especially in a playoff series.

Carlos Silva was released by the Yankees. He had three very good outtings in the minors for Trenton and SWB. Apparently he is intent on sitting home because no one else has picked him up.

I don't expect the Yankees to make any blockbuster deals that will part with any of the following: Romanine, Montero, Betances or Banuelos. If the Yankees need help, they should take a lesson from the Red Sox who have been promoting from within to fill holes while players are on the DL.

If the Yankees can't trust what they have in the system then it is time to unload all of those players.

Talks are Kuroda talks are down to Yankees, Red Sox, Rangers, and Detroit. Kuroda then releases a statement: "My honest feeling is that I can't fathom wearing another uniform than the Dodgers uniform right now." This is only his 4th season with LA, not like this guy played 20 years there. Also looking at his # he's only had 1 season above .500 and that was at 8-7. ERA has always been in the low to mid 3's. I think that easily takes a half point bump in the AL East. On most teams he's probably a solid #3 guy, here he may be a #4. He's very much in the same mold of Garcia.

Sad about Irabu - he opened the door for a lot of Far East players to come to the States. When you look at his first two seasons with the Yankees, they were not all that bad. He was never able to live up to the belief that he would be another Nolan Ryan (there was only one and will only ever be one). In Japan his fastball was 98 and he had a great splitter - in the US a bigger ball took 4 to 5 miles off of the fastball and made the splitter ordinary. Being traded crushed his spirit. Apparently his wife leaving him really was the last straw.

Cannot understand all of the interest in Kuroda. Cashman seems to be getting it right: "There isn't anyone out there that we can get that will be better than what we have."

The Yankees would not have landed Kuroda. He refused to waive his no trade clause. Red Sox do not get harden. The deal fell apart after the Red Sox tried to change the parameters of the deal. They then landed Bedard who will probably go back to Seattle as a free agent during the winter. This is not a good deal for Boston in that Bedard does not like pressure and the bright lights.

Yankees did not make a move because the asking prices were too high. Apparently did ask about Wandy Rodrequez from Houston only if Huston would pay part of his salary - a non starter in negotiations. The Yankees are in a pretty good spot with their pitching. Garcia continues to be consistent, CC will win 25 this year, Colon is okay, and Burnett will win the games against the team representing The Williamsport LL All Stars. Nova now has ten wins and don't be surprised if Tuesday is Phil Hughes last start. He will be moved to the pen and Nova will go into the rotation. Banuelos is being brought to triple a with the thoughts of being the next in line should someone be needed.

Cashman played it close to the vest this time. They have spent a lot of time building the system. No need to destroy it with a hurried trade.

Didn't see that the Red Sox backed off Harden after reviewing the medicals.

Smart move but I wish they got stuck with him. They need pitching more than the Yankees. Bucholz is not coming back this season, well regular season anyway. Dice-K is done, Wakefield has been ineffective. Lackey has been bad, but a little better as of late. The Red Sox really have Beckett and Lester and no one else that is decent. It could be argued that the Yankees don't have anyone after CC. But I disagree, Colon and Garcia are great as #2&3, Nova is better than AJ and is a solid #4, AJ is #5 and will probably not pitch in the playoffs again this year. Hughes will be relegated to mop up duty. I wouldn't be surprised if the Yankees make a trade after the waivers clear for someone like Jeff Francis from the Royals. A solid lefty who throws ground balls.

Looking ahead this week, big series vs. Red Sox in Boston. Yankees can either reclaim first place or find themselves playing content with the wild card. But first the other Sox in Chicago. Yankees will take 2 of 3 from them.

I believe the Red Sox rotation is in worse condition than the Yankees. Lester has had some minor nicks this season and may break down. Beckett has a barking back that tends to flare occassionally. If either of those two go down, then they could be in real trouble.

In comparision, CC is pitching to an ERA under 3.00, both Garcia and Colon are pitching to ERAs in the low threes. Nova has ten wins and even with his erratic pitching, AJ has eight wins.

The only thing saving the Red Sox at this point is their hitting. Over the last ten games Gonzalez is hitting .536 and Pedroia is hitting around .450 neither can keep that pace up. When the hitters slump, so will the sox.

The Hardin deal blew up when the Red Sox learned that Hardin was given a shot recently. Boston then tried to modify the trade by saying if he gets nine starts, then the trade stands but if he gets less than nine starts the A's owuld get a lesser prospect. The Athletics said no dice so Hardin says with the Athletics.

Nova only has 9 wins right now, not 10. Reading that the Yankees were a little closer to a deal for Wandy Rodriguez than Cashman was letting on. Yesterday Cashman said he was never close on anything, but reports have the Yankees made an offer to the Astros for Wandy and would have taken on $21 of the remaining $38MM owed. Because the Astros were eating $17MM they wanted a top prospect or a possible 3rd team involved (Jays were mentioned). But Cashman wouldn't do it. Wandy is a decent #3 in the NL Central. He would get lit up in the AL East.

On one hand I'm upset the Yankees didn't make a move, on the other hand I am extremely happy the Yankees kept all of their prospects. This is them turning the page. Later this year and next year marks the next wave of the young blood. Banuelos and Montero should definitely be ready and Bentances is looking like mid-late next season. Yankees also like Adam Warren and David Phelps for the rotation. Behind CC, you have Hughes, Nova, Adams, Warren, Banuelos, and Betnaces, maybe Brackman if he can get straightened out. A lot of young pitching.

Don't count on Brackman getting straightened out. He was a real stretch when the Yankees took him out of North Carolina. I believe he had only one year of college ball behind him (maybe two). They also new he needed surgery. So taking this guy was a gamble from the beginning.

You mention all of the pitching depth - what happens if Colon and Garcia really turn in great seasons say both win between 12-15 games and they pitch well in the post season - do the Yankees walk away from both of them because of the depth of prospects?/ It could prove interesting.

If they both pitch well including the postseason, they will get multi-year deals from other clubs. I wouldn't mind seeing one of them stay and trading AJ even if it means eating half of his remaining contract.

The NY Football Giants have re-signed Ahmad Bradshaw. I wonder if they will take a look at Braylon Edwards at WR. I think as of right now the Eagles have to be the NFC East favorites if not the NFC favorites for the Super Bowl. All these teams making big deals and the Giants seem to be just sitting there.

Yankees pull within a game of the Red Sox. Phil Hughes goes tonight. If he pitches poorly I think it will be his last start.

Speaking of which the Yankees are going with the modified 6 man rotation, kinda of in the manner I previously talked about. CC stays on regular rest and they rotate the old guys. I think Colon gets an extra day and then Garcia gets an extra day. If Hughes pitches well tonight the Yankees could be in line to sweep the White Sox in this series and have a lot of momentum heading into Boston.

Crash, there hasn't been a snap in the NFL and you are already giving the Eagles the division - what happens if Vick goes down or Burress is two or three steps slower than he was two years ago?

Yankees put Soriano, Posada and Burnett on trade waivers to gauge interest. Let's see Burnett is owed something like $49 million don't see him going anywhere, Posada can't hit from the right side and is hitting 225 maybe the batboy from a double a team, and Soriano has about $25 million on his contract. There may be someone out there willing to take him and the bloated era. Having said that, I believe if the game needs a closer tonight, Soriano gets the nod because Mo has gone two days in a row.

Looking at the minor league stats for SWB and the Yankees have some promise on the farm. Greg Kontos is 26 years old (was at one point a top prospect) he is 4-3 with a 2.75 ERA with 76 strikeouts in 72 innings. Adam Warren is 6-4 with a 3.39 ERA. Jorge Vasquez, who was doing well in spring training as a fill in at third and first (Yankees opted to keep Chavez) has 25 homeruns and 74 RBIs in 91 games. However, his age is working against him - he is 29.

Yankees seem to have somewhat of a pleasant dilema on their hands. Hughes pitched like the Hughes of old (not necessarily an appropriate phrase for a 25 year old) and earned a shutout in Chicago. Next up on Thursday is Nova and if he pitches well, the Yankees will have an issue they never thought they would have - too many starting pitchers. Actually what I would do is have Hughes/Nova at the number five slot and rotate them into the start. Hughes for five or six and Nova finishing; next time out Nova for five or six and Hughes finishing. They get on a regular rotation, both keep their arms stretched out and they limit innings for a guy who is coming off a sore shoulder and limit the innings for a younger player as well.

Apparently the Yankees were close to dealing Cervelli to the Pirates for a right handed starter (Linclon). The trade of Cervelli would have cleared a roster spot for Montero.

Yankees may want to re-think that concept. Cervelli is more than adequate as a backup and Montero does not know the staff. Do you make this move in the middle of a pennant race?? - NO!!!!!!!!!!

We could be seeing the final days of Jorge Posada. He is currently hitting .224 and has not played in the last twelve games. Talk of bringing Montero up would take DH time away from him. Not only that issue, but with A-Rod scheduled to come back within the next two weeks, the Yankees would have to make a roster move on the 25 man roster to clear a spot. The team is currently carrying 4 outfielders (which they have to do), four infielders (no backups on the roster)and two catchers. If A-Rod comes back and Montero is added before September 1st, Posada looks like the odd man out.

First...Hughes looked real good last night. He was hitting 95mph on the fastball and consistently stayed around 94-93...I think I heard that he averaged 92.5mph on his FB for the night. Not bad considering when he went on the DL his FB avg was around 89mph. If he can live between 93-95 he will be fine. His mechanics have changed a lot. Almost looks like he short arms the ball. Kind of like a converted catcher would do.

I think that outing will be the key and end up having Nova sent back down again. that will be your roster spot for A-Rod coming back. I doubt we will see Montero prior to 9/1. I do think we will see Banuelos before 9/1 though. If he's added prior to 9/1 he could be that 2nd lefty in the pen for October. I think Mitre would be cut at that point.

As for Posada not sure what games you have been watching but he has certainly played recently. He's been in 7 of the last 12 games. Over that stretch he's hitting .333 (8 for 24). He played in 2 games each in the OAK, SEA, and Balt series, and he was just 1-3 Monday. In short he's not going anywhere. They will let him sit on the bench and do nothing before they cut him. Yankees don't want that kind of PR especially since they're marketing DVDs and Yankeeographies about the Core 4.

Crash, apparently the data they are posting on stats is not up to date. When I went to look at Posada's stats, the last day listed was July 18th.

DVDs or whatever, if they are going to make some of the moves that have been talked about something has to give. If they bring Montero up before September 1 someone else goes. I don't expect them to trade Cervelli in the middle of a pennant race, and considering how short they are at position backups Posada would be the odd man out. Once A-Rod is back, Chavez moves to the bench and occassional DH, they are not going to run A-Rod out everyday to play the field so he will DH some as well. Montero comes up he will do some dh. Where exactly does that leave: (a) Posada and (b) Andrew Jones?

In addition they are looking at Warren and Banuelos prior to September 1 again who goes if they come up?

The concept of putting a player on waivers after the trade deadline is pretty standard operating procedures.

It is telling though that Burnett continues to struggle. maybe he is just one more high priced person who can't play in the bright lights of the city or his pitching reflects his true ability that being a 500 pitcher.

Soriano apparenlty has gotten over himself and has told Girardi that he will pitch where ever the team needs him to pitch. He pitched the 9th last night in a blow out. If he is back to form and willing to deflate his ego, he could be a big addition. (He has already stated he wants to stay in NY next year and will not opt out).

In the minors - Sanchez is over his exile and back playing for Charleston. He indicated being sent out to the minor league camp was a humbling experience for him and he learned his lesson.

Before last night AJ was 0-8 with an ERA of 6.86...hard to believe but those numbers actually got worse last night. ERA in AUgust with Yankees is now over 7.00!!!

AJ looked like the AJ of last year. He was getting on top of the ball and everything was up and just spinning to the middle of the plate. There's 2 seasons left with AJ at $16.5MM...either the Yankees trade him this offseason and include a bunch of cash...or after next year they just release him and eat the final year. Kind of like what the Mets did with Oliver Perez.

Mark Prior trying to comeback from an injury (surprise) was throwing batting practice yesterday...and took a line drive off his forearm. That's right another injury to Prior (surprise again).

Wang got lit up again last night for the Nats. 7 hits in 5IP, 6R (only 2ER though). His is now 0-2 with an ERA of 6.00.

Wonder if the they would consider a trading him to the Mets for Santana. Send AJ, a prospect and cash to the Mets for Santana. Or maybe to the Cubs...swap bad contracts Zambrano for AJ. At least Zambrano is a little more consistent.

Crash, forget Santana, he is going back to the doctors to have his shoulder re-eamined because he has not recovered from his first rehab start and will not be allowed to throw until next week at the earliest.

Zambrano may be a better fit than AJ. The guy wants to win and is frustrasted with what he sees surrounding him. I am not convinced Burnett is mentally where he needs to be to be successful. This is a shame because the guy has some of the best stuff in baseball - WHEN he is right (which unfortunately for the Yankees is not often).

Yeah I don't really care if Santana pitches this year or not if he's all right next year I'll take it. No now pitching is better than AJ pitching right now. I'm just looking for any possible angle to dump this guy, his fragile head, and huge contract.

On the plus side Yankees go for sweep tonight before heading to Boston. Not sure I like the pitching matchups for the Boston series. Colon v Lester, Sabathia v. Lackey, and Garcia v. Beckett.

Who would have thought the Yankees would have the dilema of having too many pitchers for the rotation at this point of the season? Nova pitches another gem, the Yankees are on a seven game winning streak and the only question mark (besides what mental ward to send AJ to)is does the team continue to go with a six man rotation and let Hughes and Nova continue to battle? Or the team could put AJ on the DL - fake some kind of injury - bring up another bat and settle into a five man rotation until September 1 when AJ returns from the Dl and rehab sessions at the rookie league.